The Easy Way To Kill Ants

Updated on August 30, 2016

Meat eater ant | Source

How to Kill Ants

Before arriving in Brazil I thought there were two types of ants. Red ones and black ones. This was a very simplistic view of ants but it was one that served me well in my life. Stay away from the red ones, they bite.

Well guess what, there are an estimated 22,000 different types of ants.

Now in Brazil, I have seen many different types. They are absolutely fascinating. Destructive, but fascinating. Below I will tell you the closely guarded secret to eliminate ants from your home. This has been known by the exterminators for sometime, but kept secret to keep their profession alive.

I will pass on this information for you to share with others who have a problem with ants in their home using simple everyday products to quickly eliminate ants from your kitchen and other rooms where they may appear.

Killing ants in the home

When I had some ants in my house about a month ago, I looked on the internet to find out how to kill them. I looked on forums, websites, and various commercial sites and couldn't find an answer. Often the advice was, 'Don't leave food out'. This was obvious, I had a problem and needed it resolving.

There was even one person who said, take your finger and roll over it. Why do these people waste their time writing nonsense like that? In the end, I gave up, wiped the ants away and put down some bleach. This made me feel good that the counter was disinfected but didn't resolve the problem.

What exterminators don't want you to know

Recently I was playing Scrabble online against my cousin in Montana.

My husband, feeling abandoned, went to the kitchen to make a snack. He quickly proclaimed that there were ants everywhere! This is not as unusual as it sounds but only someone who has lived in the tropics will understand this. Sometimes, just before it rains, ants, frogs, and other 'normal outside residents' tend to make a beeline for the house. Occasionally there will be a mass hatching of one insect or another all at the same moment.

When I mentioned this to my cousin, with whom I was chatting whilst playing Scrabble, she suggested kitchen spray. I didn't want to clean them, I wanted to kill them. She said, 409, Windex or something similar would do the job. My husband, grabbed the kitchen spray and like a possessed man armed with mustard gas, began eliminating mass quantities of ants.

Now my husband, who has seen many things in his life, is not easily impressed. He was amazed at how well this worked and called me into the kitchen to look at the dead ant carcasses littering the floor.

My cousin said, it was an exterminator who revealed this to her. This is apparently a closely guarded secret in the world of pest control. There is something in the spray ants can't tolerate. Of course with it being used in kitchens, it is safer than using some poisons normally sold to eliminate ants.

So in the end, I now ensure I have a spray kitchen spray ready for when they try to invade again.

Black ant | Source

Ant trail cut through grass

Ant trail cut through grass | Source

Killing Ants Outside

Ants outside the home can also be a big problem. We have ants here that leave trails in the grass. Others that are leaf cutters that proudly march in their lines to their nests carry bits of leaves from my hibiscus.

If you think ants are a problem only during the day, get a flashlight and have a look at night. We have seen what looked like a mass exodus of ants through our garden wall from the woods. A flow that looked as though it was being carried on water. Amazing to see and gone by morning. Ant hills in the garden will come alive at night, devouring plants while you sleep.

The problem can be rectified by treating the nest. Use a powder on the nest when you know there will be no chance of rain. The treatment works by the ants walking through the powder and taking this with them to the nest. As with any poison ensure children and pets are kept well away from the area being treated.

Comments 14 comments

i hate ants! and i hate it when they bites. we have a lot red ants in the house and i use insect spray to eliminate them.

pagesvoice 4 years ago from New York/Pennsylvania border

Voted up and useful. Ant trails...really? I would go berserk if I saw ant trails. One ant in the house is one too many for me. I will admit, I too have used 409 on ants and spiders alike. Both seemed to have worked. Okay, now that I've read your article I am itchy all over. Ha ha

Jeff Gamble 4 years ago from Denton, Texas

We've got fire ants and "crazy" ants in north Texas - the fire ants sting and the crazy ants bite - Nothing will get your morning off to a rockier start than accidentally stepping on a fire ant mound - Have to try the 409, thanks for the tip

Blond Logic 4 years ago from Brazil Author

Hi Jeff,

I have never heard of crazy ants but at least that is one we don't have here, or I have discovered yet.

I think you will be impressed with the 409.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blond Logic 4 years ago from Brazil Author

Oh my goodness, if one ant is enough for you, don't visit the tropics! I have come down in the morning and found a tarantula in the kitchen. This has happened three times. Plus snakes in the bathrooms. I just leave a door open and wait for them to go out.

Have I made your itching worse. LOL

Thanks for the comment.

Blond Logic 4 years ago from Brazil Author

Hi Jhudah,

I know they are part of the eco system and everything plays its part, just let it play it somewhere else. Wherever I stand in the garden, I seem to stand on an anthill.

Thanks for leaving a comment.

pagesvoice 4 years ago from New York/Pennsylvania border

Yes, you did make my itching worse. :) I'll probably dream about spiders, snakes and ants. I'm in my 6th decade and I still can't stand those creatures. After WW II and my dad who fought in the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines, he never wanted to picnic outdoors again. I guess that gene was passed on to me. I'll take the deer, fox, coyotes, wild turkeys and bear that visit me over insects any day of the week. Ha ha ha

teaches12345 4 years ago

Thanks for the useful information on the spray for ants. In South Florida you do have to keep your home treated for these critters as they will invade and conquer over time. Voted up!

Blond Logic 4 years ago from Brazil Author

Hello Teaches 12345,

I lived for a short time in Florida, and you're right. It is best to keep them at bay.

Thanks for stopping by.

DestiNova 6 months ago

409 in Brazil? Ok I"m in Brazil and I'll have a look next time I go to GBarbosa.

Blond Logic 6 months ago from Brazil Author

I don't think you will find 409 here in Brazil. Most spray kitchen cleaners like this will work. I have used Mr. Muscle and that killed the ants.

Thanks for reading.

MarleneB 5 weeks ago from Northern California, USA

These are wonderful solutions that I will definitely try.

Blond Logic 5 weeks ago from Brazil Author

Hi Marlene,

I hope you are as successful with the destruction of your ants as we have been. Let the battle commence.

Blond Logic 5 weeks ago from Brazil Author

Hi Marlene,

I hope you are as successful with the destruction of your ants as we have been. Let the battle commence.